


Radioactive

by suyari



Category: Young Avengers
Genre: M/M, Soul Bond, Twins, universe hopping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-07
Updated: 2014-02-07
Packaged: 2018-01-11 13:29:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1173621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/suyari/pseuds/suyari
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The twins are more in tune than anyone's aware of.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Radioactive

**Author's Note:**

> Spoilers for issue 6 of the YA second run.
> 
> Originally Posted on LJ in June 2013.

They'd barely been on the road a week when it happened for the first time. Noh-Varr was driving and everyone else was keeping themselves busy in their own ways. Kate was caring for her bow. America was shadow boxing. Loki seemed absorbed in a bit of string that looked like an odd, slightly magical game of cat's cradle. Teddy was reading and Billy was asleep. He'd been working hard to keep them cloaked from their enemies. Between his powers, Loki's know how and Noh-Varr's technology, they were doing well.

If anyone'd been paying close enough attention, they would have noticed the constellations across his uniform glowing brighter, spinning faster, moving by at accelerated paces. He tossed his head, fists curling and knees rising to his chest. Teddy set his book down and reached out for him, but before he could even touch him, Billy bolted upright, eyes ablaze and hair drifting in an unfelt current against the laws of gravity. "Tommy!"

Kate was up and beside them as Teddy dropped everything and turned around to grab his partner by the shoulders. "Billy," he cooed as the brunet's face turned upward. "Billy...it's okay. It was just a dream." Even as he said it, he knew it wasn't so. In the short months they'd lived together, he'd noticed - even in Billy's melancholy - the twins seemed to be making up for lost time. They were still themselves, but there were moments - strange, eerie moments - when they were a little _more_. Teddy'd tried bringing it up, but Billy hadn't been talking much and Tommy deflected - which was a specialty of his, given his abilities.

Loki looked up, following Billy's gaze and the rest of the team followed. Even Noh-Varr, who'd pulled over at some point. "He's gone," he said, as if discussing the weather.

"What?!" cried Kate, an edge to her voice she'd acquired after they'd started losing people they cared about to the cause.

Teddy felt a knot in his stomach, tears springing all too easily. He blinked them away, refusing to mourn until he knew for certain.

"What do you mean _gone_?!" Kate replied, looking to him.

Loki shrugged. "Take it how you want." He went back to his game.

Kate was up and crossing over to him, but Teddy beat her to it. He'd barely registered moving, but suddenly he was looking up at the godling, who dangled in his grip like someone quite accustomed to this particular threat to his person.

"Explain," Teddy growled.

"What's to explain?" Loki replied, hands linking together again to thread his string with graceful ease above Teddy's fist. "He was here, and now he's not."

Billy's inhale was shaken and stuttered. He drew his legs up, turned and set his feet down. Galaxies swept by against his sides so quickly they were blurs of radiant color. He got up, and when he stood, his shoulders were set with a rigidity Teddy didn't like.

"Billy?" he asked, unsure.

The brunet placed a hand over his heart and closed his eyes. His cape billowed behind him, caught up in the flow of his power.

Teddy tried again. "Billy?"

After a moment, Billy shook his head, exhaling. "He's alive."

"I'm going to _kill_ him!" Kate exclaimed. While she hadn't yet a definitive reason - the scare was enough, frankly - there was enough certainty between the original members of the team that whatever it was, Tommy likely had brought it upon himself.

Loki hummed and tilted his head. "Can you be so sure?"

Teddy wanted to _shake_ him. He managed to refrain - just barely.

But Billy hummed and nodded, then looked at them, eyes back to their usual color. "If he were dead, I wouldn't be here."

As everyone else looked on in confusion, Loki simply nodded, as if Billy's reply was an irrefutable statement.

Teddy dropped him.

The next few days were rough. He and Kate made a few calls, but they couldn't seem to get any information. Billy wouldn't say anything. He spent all his time in a lotus position, eyes closed, as if meditating. Every now and again, there'd be a flare of power, but it would pass by, with the occasional mutter.

The second time it happened, Teddy had managed to get Billy to pause in his search to rest a little. He'd gotten him to eat, they'd kissed a little, and then Billy had fallen asleep in his arms. Teddy knew the moment things went awry.

Billy frowned, he twitched. His arm reached out, fingers stretching and whimpered slightly. He shifted against Teddy in upset, groaning when Teddy's arms closed about him tighter. The team wandered in, just as Billy entered into a coughing fit. He jolted upright, eyes squeezed shut and clutched at his knee.

Teddy reached for him, untangling one arm so he could lift his chin. When he managed to get Billy to look at him, there was blood trailing down the side of his face. Panicked, his fingers skimmed Billy for injury, with no result.

Billy pushed himself up, panting heavily, not even noticing the way the blood trailed and dripped from his jaw onto Teddy's belly. "He's alive," was all he said.

Teddy and Kate threw themselves into locating Tommy, calling in favors, and enlisting help. Two weeks later, they still had no answers.

Billy's fits would come and go without warning. Sometimes, he'd startle, blink and then continue on as if nothing had happened. Other times, he'd struggle for minutes on end, before finally catching his breath; uttering only, "He's alive."

After a while, no one on the team could be sure if he was saying it to keep them updated, or to reassure himself. As the days turned into weeks, Teddy thought it was more the latter.

One day, just as unexpectedly as they'd started, they stopped.

Billy paused in the kitchen, both hands braced against the counter for support. Slowly, he drew both hands together, lacing his fingers together and placing them over his chest.

"Billy?" Teddy'd asked out of habit.

He turned and smiled, tears in his eyes. "He's home!"

It took Teddy a moment to process. "Home?" he queried.

"How?" asked America.

"Mom...I think."

Kate met Teddy's eyes.

"The Scarlet Witch?"

Billy bounced once, heels rocking and body drifting upward. A grin split his face as he padded off.

Loki sighed. "Idiot," he grumbled.

Though the others looked to him, he didn't elaborate.

They couldn't be sure of anything, so they believed in Billy. He'd walked to the front door, stood on the porch and waited. The team had drifted out to settle about him. The sun was setting and the breeze picked up, a cool, crisp...wait.

Billy launched himself at thin air that materialized into a shape of identical measurements. The twins embraced tightly. Tommy spun Billy once, before Billy wound all four limbs about him, and he had to plop down on the stairs. Which was how he got enveloped in a semi-group hug as Teddy and Kate threw their arms about the pair.

It took them a while to realize the others were carrying on a conversation, and when Teddy and Kate took a moment to focus, they realized there was someone else. Teddy raised an eyebrow. Kate drew away from the embracing twins to get a better look.

"Um..hey," Teddy greeted.

"Hi," the other teen replied with a short wave.

"He's cuter in person," Billy whispered.

Tommy grinned. "He's brighter too!"

"Thanks," drawled the other teen.

Billy unraveled from Tommy and got up. The other teen didn't so much as eye him warily as he was approached. Teddy's eyes widened as Billy embraced him, clutching him close. "Thanks for taking care of him, David."

"David?" Kate mouthed at Teddy.

He shrugged.

"Hey!" Tommy replied, bouncing up so quickly, it was almost a blur. "I took care of him too!"

Billy looked over his shoulder at his twin. David rolled his eyes, but he was grinning. Billy released him, turning to throw an arm about Tommy again. Tommy surprised their teammates by moving _into_ it. They pressed their brows together.

"I like the new costume."

"Thanks."

"There's just one thing that concerns me."

"What's that?"

"The fuck did you do to your hair?!"

"You should talk," Billy replied, running his fingers through the short hair at Tommy's nape.

Tommy scoffed. "Mine's actually fantastic, thanks. You have no sense of style. But we can fix that! Where are the scissors?"

"Come on," Teddy said to David, squeezing his hand and throwing an arm about his shoulders. "You hungry? We've got some great stuff in the fridge. Noh-Varr's a bit of a foodie."

"I could eat. Thanks."

They headed back into the safe house, arguing all the way. The twins hands twined together, bodies brushing as they moved.

"Welcome home," Loki said to the air, still seated on the porch railing. "Took you long enough."

"Loki! You better hurry before there's no bacon left!"

He sprung to his feet, darting inside. "Where is my ketchup condiment?!"


End file.
